Tag: mac winkle eyeshadow

MAC Eyeshadow Swatches – Teals & Blues

Here are several swatches of MAC eyeshadows from the green family (mostly permanent shades) that are now part of The Swatch Gallery.

Newly Minted is a green-based teal with a matte finish. It had a Matte2 finish, but it was discontinued. Make Up For Ever #93 comes the closest–it’s a little brighter but has better color payoff.Shimmermoss is a blue-teal with a silvery sheen. It has a veluxe pearl finish. Milani Teal the Truth is similar in color but a touch darker, whileAquadisiac is a green-tinged aqua blue with a soft sheen. It has a lustre finish. Make Up For Ever #168 is the only dupe I could think of, but it’s much darker and not so much an aqua.Aqua is a soft aqua blue with a matte finish. It’s a little powdery and can look chalky on some complexions. Milani Caribbean Sea is similar in color, though a little darker and shimmery. Inglot #345 has a similar lightness but leans greener.Plumage is a blackened blue with just a hint of green. It has a matte finish. Inglot #340 is not quite as dark, but it is very similar in color and more pigmented.Prussian is a dark navy blue with a Matte2 finish. It has been discontinued. Make Up For Ever #60 is the closest shade I could think of, but it is much darker and not quite as blue.Deep Truth is a dark blue with a frost finish. This is a shade with a fair amount of dupes/cousins. Just to name a few: Make Up For Ever #308, Milani Blue My Mind, and Inglot #428.Freshwater is a bright, medium blue with a veluxe pearl finish. Inglot #426 is similar, a little darker. Make Up For Ever #167 is also similar but a bit darker.Blue Calm is a brightened, medium blue with a veluxe pearl finish. It is a PRO shade. It’s just a smidgen lighter than Freshwater (and thus is a smidgen lighter than the comparables listed for Freshwater).Electric Eel is a bright but darkened cyan blue with a satin finish. Inglot #371 is very similar. Urban Decay Electric is slightly less blue. Make Up For Ever #72 is darker.Sky Blue is a pale, pastel blue with a white sheen. It has a frost finish and was a PRO shade but is no longer available. Make Up For Ever #150 is very similar. Cle de Peau #112 is also similar but a little lighter.Winkle is a cornflower blue, almost periwinkle, with a satin finish. It is similar to Inglot #369.Moon’s Reflection is a purple-tinged blue with a silvery-white sheen. It has a veluxe pearl finish. The closest color I could think of was Inglot #429, which leans more on the purple side and has a brighter white sheen.Atlantic Blue is a deep, intense cobalt blue with a hint of indigo. It has a matte finish and is a PRO shade. Make Up For Ever #159 is similar but has less violet in it, while Inglot #388 is a little darker and has less blue.

MAC’s matte eyeshadows have a drier texture, and they often perform better in actual application than merely swatched on the arm. Shades like Aqua, Plumage, and Prussian don’t always swatch perfectly but Plumage and Prussian work better when applied. Aqua is a finicky shade that sometimes works but not consistently, and the product itself seems to be inconsistent–some pans are better than others.

Atlantic Blue is one of the best matte shades by MAC, because it’s so intense. Shades like Deep Truth, Freshwater, and Electric Eel are classic blues–all three lovely in color payoff and texture. Electric Eel has all the hallmarks of a matte but it has a satin finish, so it’s easier to work with. Sky Blue can be tricky to work with, similar to Aqua’s issues.

It’s a shame that a shade like Newly Minted gets discontinued, though, because it’s not a shade you see often. (Or, for the older MAC fans, Melody!)

MAC Dare to Wear: Eyeshadows, Part 2

First, make sure you’ve read Part 1. In this post, you’ll notice four blue-based shades–this collection is definitely skewed towards blue. There are three permanent shades here: Sky Blue, Atlantic Blue, and Winkle; the first available only at PRO, the latter two at all freestanding stores.

Zingy is a medium blue that leans just a little green. It’s a less intense version of Electric Eel eyeshadow. It was also a little fussy to get to layer right in a swatch–though it’s pretty once it comes together.

Sky Blue is a soft, pale sky blue with silvery-white shimmer in a frost finish. It’s a little on the sheer side and can be a bit dusty. This is a permanent PRO shade.

Atlantic Blue is an intense shade of deep blue with a violet undertone in a matte finish. This is one of my favorite shades–period! This is a permanent PRO shade.

Winkle is a softened cornflower blue with a satin finish. It needs to be layered to get a nice level of intensity, but it has a very buttery texture. This is a permanent shade.

Shock-a-holic is a medium-dark purple with strong red undertones in a matte finish. It’s a little brighter, richer version of Vibrant Grape; brighter/purpler version of Nocturnelle or Fig 1.

Crazy Cool is a shimmery cool-toned lilac with a silver-white sheen in a veluxe pearl finish. It’s a darker version of Digit and a lighter version of Beautiful Iris. It’s a little on the sheer side and not as smooth as I’d expect for a veluxe pearl.

Video Makeup Tutorial: Stream of Consciousness

This is a tutorial, but it’s also more about me going through the process of using just two eyeshadows, not loving the result, and trying to work it into something I did like. Not everything always turns out according to what we envision, and sometimes, it may not even be perfect at the end, but each time we do something, it’s just part of the learning process!

A Tale of Two Eyeshadows… Stream of Consciousness

I was really, truly determined to just two eyeshadows in this look (not including the highlighter, pfft!), but of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I have a tutorial for this look, and it’s more like a stream of consciousness than a tutorial, because you’ll see me going through the whole process of wanting to keep it at just two but not being happy with it the way it turned out. I originally planned just Gorgeous Gold and Shimmermoss, but I wanted more oomph in the crease, so I then tried Winkle, which was a bit light, so I went to Atlantic Blue, which was lovely, but blending on top of frostier finishes (like Shimmermoss) can be difficult.

This is all to say that this is more like a “work in progress” kind of look. If I were to do it all over again, I would start with Atlantic Blue in the crease, skip Winkle altogether, and may even skip Shimmermoss–but definitely layer the matte shade on prior to the frostier shade.

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow all over the lower lid. Lightly blend Shimmermoss eyeshadow in the outer crease and third of the lid with the 226. Next, apply Winkle eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending onto the outer lid. Define the crease with Atlantic Blue eyeshadow and the 226. Blend Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow with the crease shade and then highlight the brow bone with Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow. Bring everything together by applying Flipside liner on the lower lash line, then smudge with Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Echo blush on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116, then lightly pat Amber Diamond on the cheekbones.

For lips, apply Crosswires lipstick first, and then layer Nymphette lipglass for a complementing lip.

Video Makeup Tutorial: MAC Dare to Wear Blues

Here’s a video tutorial of this blue look I did yesterday! 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!

I keep forgetting to mention in a video as a fun fact, so I’m at least going to write it here since I am remembering…

FUN FACT: I don’t plan the look! I usually have an idea of what I want (e.g. I want to do a blue look, or use X product, or do green and blue or brown and gold), but I don’t have anything picked out yet. What you see in the video is me doing the look for the first time – I don’t even do one eye before the other. I do them both simultaneously (but we edit out when I do the other eye, since I’m out of the frame anyway). This is why you’ll often see me give suggestions or modifications, based on how it turns out 🙂

MAC Dare to Wear Look: Aqua, Winkle, & Atlantic Blue

MAC Dare to Wear may be eons away (okay, a couple of months), but given the amount of repromotes/permanent shades in the collection, I got a little inspired to create a look out of the ones I do already own. I went with a shimmery highlighter, rather than a matte one, because matte highlighters have a tendency to photograph poorly (they always look chalky, even if you can barely see them in real life). Well, it’s probably I just haven’t mastered the art of photographing matte brow highlighters… Anyway!

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Aqua eyeshadow on the inner third of the lid and pull upwards along the inner crease. Lightly blend Winkle eyeshadow on the outer two-thirds of the lid with the 239. Next, apply Atlantic Blue eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending onto the outer lid. Blend Shroom eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying #15L aqua eyes dipped in Royal Wink fluidline on the lower lash line, and then lightly dust Aqua eyeshadow underneath with the 219. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Peach Nuance blush very lightly on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Beachbound lipstick first, and then layer Manhattan lipgloss to lighten, and the finally add just a touch of Lychee Luxe lipglass for a complementing lip.